The present invention relates to a method for making sponge iron briquettes from fine ore with a maximum grain size of less than 2 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm, wherein hot fine ore is fed to a roller press and briquetted by opposite briquette pockets of the roller press to form sponge iron briquettes and wherein during briquetting fine ore which is compacted by one of the separating webs between the briquette pockets, and fines in the form of dust are produced, the materials being separated as returns from the iron sponge briquettes and fed to the fine ore prior to briquetting, the mean grain size of the fine ore being smaller than the mean particle size of the returns.
In the prior art fine ore has normally been formed into pellets prior to hot briquetting. During briquetting sponge iron briquettes and returns are obtained, the returns being again fed to the pellets above the roller press.
Moreover, a single installation has become known in the prior art for directly pressing fine ore into its resultant particulate form. In this method the returns are collected and then fed to the fine ore prior to briquetting. This method, however, has not turned out to be very successful in practice and has not been accepted.